10 Valentine Party Ideas for Your Kids

Feb 10, 2015

Posted By
Five Star Painting

Valentine party ideas for your kids, because let’s face it, planning
a party for them is way more fun than planning a dinner party for adults.
Take this excuse to overdose on pink, red and purple hearts and throw
a Valentine’s Day party for your kids!

The first thing you’ll want to do is invite the guests. I am going
to leave the invitation designing to you, go on Pinterest find something
cute and make them or
buy premade invitations from the store. If you are short on time I would simply skip the formal
invitation and start calling the parents.

After you have done that, you need to plan activities, treats, prizes and
decorations for the party. I recommend doing this step before you go to
the store so you have a list and hopefully a set budget so you don’t
get too carried away in the Valentine’s Day shopping frenzy. Something
about that isle covered in pink and red, it’s dangerous. Decide
what you need before you go shopping.

Valentine Party Ideas

GAMES

Games and activities are a must for any children’s party. Here are
a few Ideas.

Bingo

Bingo is a good game and an easy one to start the party out with because
even if you have a few late arrivals they can jump right in with everyone
else and start playing. Use Valentine candy for place markers. Have a
few small prizes for every bingo and blackout winner. You don’t
need to break the bank with this, it can be a simple box of conversation
hearts and you can limit the number of prize winning bingos per child.
You are in fact in charge of this party so do lay some ground rules or
you may get run over. Be strong, you can do this. Here is a link to free,
printable Valentine bingo cards.

Use Valentine candy as bingo makers. Make sure you have enough because
they are going to disappear as the game goes on.

Ice sugar cookies

Decorating sugar cookies is a super fun activity for kids. Set up the table
with previously baked, heart-shaped sugar cookies, icing, and sprinkles
and let them go to town. You may not have time to make the sugar cookies
yourself, so call a local bakery and order your sugar cookies from them
beforehand and be sure to specify that you want plan, undecorated sugar
cookies. You might even ask about buying the frosting from them too. The
worst they can do is say no and you are no worse off than you were before.
If they do say no, go for Betty Crocker frosting and Walton Sprinkles
from the baking isle at the grocery store. Don’t forget to pick
up the plates and plastic knifes for decorating while you are there!

Sugar cookie decorating is a great time filler activity at a Valentine’s
party for kids.

Tip: Consider using disposable tablecloths to save you some cleanup. You
can find in the party section of the store, usually next to the wrapping
paper and colored serveware. Buy one for the table and if the children
at the party are really young, possibly use two more for the floor surrounding
the table to save the floor.

Valentine Exchange

What’s a Valentine’s Day party without a card exchange? For
me, half the fun of Valentine’s Day as a kid was making my valentine
box and creating cards for my friends. The Valentine exchange is a must,
don’t skip it. I hope it teaches your children that Valentine’s
Day is about expressing your love and appreciation for your friends rather
than focusing on “who has a crush on whom.” Although, teaching
that to some children may feel like trying to nail Jello to a tree. Good luck!

Photo Booth

Photo booths are a popular activity at parties these days. Set up a fun
backdrop using a sheet, a fun tablecloth or some pretty wrapping paper
taped to the wall. Be sure you choose a well-lit location and use a flash
if you have one. You can provide props or cutout shapes like glasses,
lips and a mustache taped to straws for added entertainment. This is actually
a fun activity for all ages. Don’t worry so much about the camera
you have, just use what you’ve got, if it’s a digital point-and-shoot
that’s great, if it’s your phone that’s great too! The
point is to have fun, if you are the photographer make it an amusing experience
for everyone so you capture a moment, not just a pose.

TIP: Zoom In, the biggest mistake with these homemade photo booth pictures
is they are too far away from the subject and it ruins the effect. Think
about actual photo booth images they are super close and sometimes the
camera doesn’t get everything in the picture. Don’t be afraid
to crop out a few details.

TREATS

Valentine parties, or any party really, just wouldn’t be the same
without treats to enjoy.

Heart-Shaped Food

You can make just about any food into a heart shape. Pizza, sandwiches,
sliced melons, brownies, and rice crispy treats just to name a few. Heart
Shaped Sandwiches – Make sandwiches and use a large heart shaped
cookie cutter to cut out the sandwich. Simple.

Pizza with Heart

Pizza usually equates a win at a kid’s party. If you are really feeling
ambitious you can make a heart shaped pizza yourself or rumor has it that
Papa John’s is making heart-shaped Pizza. Personally, I would order
in. Even if you do make the best homemade pizza ever, you already have
enough to do to get ready for this party and the kids aren’t going
to stop that long to taste it anyways.

Pizza is super easy to make festive or simply order in for a Valentine’s party.

Allergy Awareness

Be aware of children with allergies to food such as peanuts a soy, dairy
and gluten. I know as the sibling of a kid who had massive food allergies,
it’s tough to be at a party where the activities center on food
and not be able to join in the fun because of allergies.

You may be overwhelmed or even doubtful that these allergies are real,
I can tell you that they are. Even if you are not buying it, remember
it’s better to be safe than sorry. You don’t want to be the
one who sent a kid to the emergency room from you child’s party
because of carelessness. It’s not hard or even expensive to provide
alternatives. Fruits and vegetables are usually a safe bet.

Fruit is a great alternative to candy at a party, especially for kids with
food allergies.

Fun toys and jewelry are also a great, allergy safe option for party favors
and prizes. Let’s be honest the less sugar kids consume is a good thing.

DECORATIONS

Decorations make it feel like a real party, not just a casual social gathering.

Helium filled balloons are a spectacular way to fill a room with festive
color for a Valentine’s party.

Traditional

My go to for decoration is usually streamers and balloons but that’s
mostly because I run out of time, suddenly party day is upon me and traditional
party decorations are all I have available. If you plan just a couple
days ahead you can pull together some really cute decorations. The ideas
on Pinterest are endless. Anything pink, red and white in the form of
a banner, bouquet, garland, or paper chain will look great! And remember
the way you set up the food display will also add greatly to the appearance
of the room at the party.

I have seen many a party looking pathetic until the food arrived and then
it looked amazing. Make. Pretty. Food.

Tulle

Pink tulle tied or wrapped around white twinkle lights. If you don’t
have red or pink lights don’t worry, just get out the white lights
from your Christmas decorations and tie pink, red or purple tool around
them. The effect is rather enchanting. Tulle draped around the room in
place of crepe paper streamers will look great too. Tulle is really inexpensive
and if you are looking to reduce your carbon footprint this is a decoration
that can be used again and again.

Valentine’s Day party ideas are a lot of fun to come up with and
share. I hope you have fun putting together this Valentine’s party
for your kids. Please share your Valentine’s Day party ideas with
us in the comments below or on our
Pinterest page. For more ideas for your
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